RAM probably isn't your buffer bloat problem.

Not really. Plex buffer bloat during high-bitrate 4K is almost always a transcoding or network bottleneck, not a RAM shortage.

8GB is plenty for Unraid + Plex + a handful of Docker containers, as long as you’re not trying to run multiple 4K transcodes at once. Plex’s transcode buffer sits in RAM, but it’s small – a few hundred MB at most. Your CPU or iGPU (or lack thereof) is the real limiter here. If you’re direct-playing high-bitrate 4K, the bottleneck is your network or client device, not memory.

More RAM helps if your Docker containers are swapping to disk, or if you’re using ZFS with ARC caching and want a bigger cache. But for Plex buffer bloat specifically? Save your cash.

Check your Plex dashboard during playback – if you see “(transcode)” next to the stream, that’s your answer. If it’s direct play and still stuttering, look at your network (Wi-Fi? Gigabit switch? SATA or SSD for media?). 16GB won’t hurt, but it’s not the fix you’re looking for.